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A multimillion-dollar plan to put armed guards at every Plano ISD school has overwhelming support from school board members. (Published Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013)

The Plano school district unveiled a plan to put armed guards at every school in the district.

The multimillion-dollar proposal was met with overwhelming support from school board members.

The plan calls for private, armed security guards at all 72 campuses in the Plano Independent School District and, perhaps, even two armed guards on senior high school campuses.

As it stands now, only Plano high and senior high schools have a police presence -- liaisons from the Plano Police Department.

Superintendent Richard Matkin said additional guards would provide an immediate response to any type of security threat on campus in the wake of the school shooting in Connecticut.

The district estimates the plan to put armed guards on every elementary, middle and high school campus would cost anywhere from $2.2 million to $2.7 million, which is double the district's current budget for security.

The district hopes the Legislature will step in and help with the funding. If not, it plans to turn to taxpayers.

"When we sat down the day after the incident with the police chief and said, 'What's the most important way to make sure you have done everything you can to protect your campuses?' and he said, 'An armed guard in your building' -- that's all they needed to say to me," Matkin said.

The next step for the school district is to solicit bids for as many as 75 security positions.